Now’s the perfect time to plant big trees

1of2Now is a great time to plant shade trees.Photo: Craig Matthews /Associated Press

2of2Now is a great time to plant shade trees.Photo: Alan Warren /Staff photographer

Now is a good time to plant shade trees. Planted in the fall and early winter, the trees have a chance to develop a root system before they must face the South Texas summer.

For the customers of the CPS Utility it is also a good time to plant a shade tree because you can receive a $50 rebate for up to five shade trees. Plant the trees to shade your house on the south and west sides and you can reduce air-conditioning costs by 25 percent.

Select the tree species based from CPS’ recommended shade tree list. The species were identified because they grow large enough to provide shade and they are well adapted to prosper in our alkaline soils, high temperatures, frequent drought periods and collection of pests.

The CPS list are: anaqua, live oak, Texas red oak, Shumard oak, Mexican sycamore, Montezuma cypress, bald cypress, Arizona cypress, bur oak, cedar elm, mesquite, pecan, Mexican white oak, big tooth maple, Sierra oak, lacey oak, Texas ebony and chinkapin oak. Some of the species are unusual in that we don’t usually see them on the recommended tree lists, but all the most familiar are also listed.

This week in the garden

The winter-blooming plants such as cyclamen, primula and pansies that are sensitive to winter warm spells can be planted now. Use pansies in the sun and primulas and cyclamen in the shade.

Spinach transplants can be placed in the garden now. Prepare the soil with 2 inches of compost and 10 cups of slow-release lawn fertilizer for every 100 square feet of bed. Space spinach transplants 6 to 12 inches apart in the row in full sun.

Fertilize the lawn with winterizer fertilizer with a 3-1-2 ratio (18-6-12 works well).

Slugs and snail populations have expanded with the wet, cool weather. They feed on foliage such as lettuce, cabbage, pansies, primula and other low-growing leafy plants. Control slugs and snails with slug and snail bait or beer traps.

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To take advantage of the rebate, the tree you purchase must be growing in at least a 5-gallon container. Large trees are desirable, but depending on the condition of your soil, it may be very difficult to dig a hole to accommodate a tree in a large-size container.

Be content to purchase the size tree that can be planted without a jackhammer; the smaller specimens will quickly adjust to their situation and often outgrow larger specimens of the same species.

To plant, dig a hole in the soil the same depth as the container and two to three times as wide as the root ball. Fill the hole around the root ball with the native soil that was removed from the hole.

There are several advantages to replacing the soil from the hole back into place. Most of our area soils are heavy, and if you fill a hole in heavy soils with light soil such as compost or potting mix, there is a chance that the planting hole will accept water easier than it will drain. The result in a rainy period could be that the planting hole does not drain, and the new root system will rot in the soggy hole.

You also want the new tree to send its roots into the native soil rather than stay in the hole with the compost. For the 5-gallon transplant to become a shade tree, it must send a root system into the native soil where it is planted.

Water the tree at planting so that the hole is filled with water and then place 3 to 4 inches of mulch on the soil over the roots. The mulch will reduce water evaporation from the soil and reduce weed growth.

Weeds compete with the newly planted tree for nutrients and water. Eliminating weed or sod growth near the tree trunk also reduces the temptation to use your string mower near the vulnerable tree trunk. Wounds from the string mower can injure the vascular system, reducing the transfer of water and nutrients from the roots into the foliage.

Leaves work well as a mulch, and so do chopped bark or brush. Don’t pile it on the trunk, but it can be spread over the rest of the root system. Water the tree every time that the soil under the mulch dries to the touch.